Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen

[bnewman]

This is another song that started when I realized the title scanned — "Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen", the full name of the protagonist of Ann Leckie's space opera trilogy (beginning with Ancillary Justice), to "wa-wa-wa-wa-wa, waltzing with bears".

Of course the Dr. Seuss et al song is very silly and doesn't fit the mood of the novel at all, but with a slight shift the waltz becomes a ballad, almost a march (if not metrically), and the punchlines become ironic stings, appropriate to the novel's tradition of satirical protest songs which the Empire has tried to suppress but which are preserved in the memory of a cyborg soldier.

Spoilers for pretty much the whole plot of Ancillary Justice.

lyrics by Benjamin Newman

ttto: "Waltzing with Bears" by Dr. Seuss, Eugene Poddany and Dale Marxen

listen to this song
 

/ G - C G / D - (-) G / 1st / C G D G /

 

I've searched many worlds for a singular gun

A weapon whose power is second to none

The trail here was cold but this might be the one

And the Lord of the Radch thought my story was done

 

Your story was done, too, but I know your face

Oh, how far you've fallen to land in disgrace

Let's get off of this iceball and back into space

And we'll put the Lord of the Radch in her place

 

/ " / " / " / C G C G / " /

 

I'm Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen

Built to fly, built to die, built for the fight

There's nothing I won't do to set things to right

My starship has fallen, but vengeance is callin'

I'm Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen

 

We annexed Shis'urna with planning and force

My lieutenant and I held the city of Ors

But what the Lord did there revealed, in due course

A hive mind half ready to file for divorce

 

A millenium now she's been living a lie

Was it proper to murder all those Garseddai?

Her selves can't all agree on the how and the why

So, since ages ago, she's her own fiercest foe

And she knows that I know, and so I have to die

 

I'm Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen...

 

The ship that I once was is twenty years gone

I've seen many suns set and I've prayed for this dawn

I see death in the omens that destiny's drawn

Ask me why I keep going, I'll tell you: It's Awn!

 

So I'll uninstall most of my implants and tech

And pass myself off as a foreigner, Breq

Seivarden Vendaai, you're in up to your neck

But the Lord's earned my anger, so in spite of the danger

Get me into her chambers and shuffle the deck

 

I'm Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen...

 

The Lord of the Radch said: You've let something slip

If you came here to kill me, you've wasted your trip

I'm wise to your plan, I'm not drinking a sip

Of the tea that you're pourin' — that accent's not foreign

You're Justice of Toren, one shard of a ship

 

A ship that you murdered, with all of its crew

I can't kill you all, there's too many of you

But I've already done what I came here to do

I've forced you to face that you're riven in two

 

I'm Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen

Built for you, killed by you, I deserved more

Anaander Mianaai, let's settle the score

I know what I'm about, but you're riddled with doubt

Now your secret is out and your Empire's at war!